Lecture Five

Configuration of Falun
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        The sign of our Falun Dafa is Falun. Those with supernormal capabilities can see Falun revolving. The same is true of our Falun badge which is also rotating. We cultivate under the guidance of the cosmic qualities, Zhen Shan Ren ( Truth Compassion Forbearance), and according to the principles of the cosmic evolution. Therefore, we cultivate something really enormous. In a sense, the configuration of Falun is the miniature of the universe. The Buddha School conceptualizes the universe as the Ten Directions with four sides and eight directions. Perhaps, some people can see a vertical energy pillar above and below Falun, which just makes up the Ten Directions plus the above and the below, which constitute the universe and stand for the Buddha School's summarization of the universe.

        This universe, of course, consists of numerous galaxies including our Milky Way galaxy. The whole universe is in motion, and so are all the galaxies within it. Therefore, the Taiji and the small swastikas "" in the configuration as well as the whole Falun are also rotating, including the large swastika "" in the center. In a way, the configuration symbolizes our Milky Way galaxy. Because we belong to the Buddha School, the center retains the symbol of the Buddha School. This is seen on the surface. All substances have their own existing forms in other spaces in which they have an extremely rich and complex process of evolution and form of existence. This configuration of Falun is a miniature of the universe and has its own form of existence and process of evolution in each of the other spaces. Therefore, I call it a world.

        When Falun rotates clockwise, it can automatically absorb energy from the universe. While rotating counter clockwise, it can give off energy. An internal clockwise rotation offers salvation to oneself while an external rotation offers salvation to others. This is the feature of our cultivation way. Some people have asked why there should be a Taiji since we belong to the Buddha School. Doesn't the Taiji belong to the Tao School? This is because we cultivate something very immense, and as good as cultivate the whole universe. Then, think about it. This universe consists of the two large schools, the Buddha School and the Tao School. Excluding either of them would not make up a complete universe and such a universe could not be said to be complete. As a result, we have included what belongs to the Tao School. Still some people say that in addition to just the Tao School, there are other religions such as Christianity, Confucianism, etc.. Let me tell you that Confucianism belongs to the Tao School when its cultivation reaches the extremely high dimension, while many Western religions fall into the Buddha School and belong to the same system of the Buddha School when they reach the very high dimension. There are just two major schools.

        Then, why are there two Taiji patterns with their upper halves red and lower halves blue, and another two Taiji patterns with their upper halves red and lower halves black? What we generally understand is that Taiji is composed of the two substances of black and white, the Yin and the Yang. That perception comes from a very low level as its manifestation varies from space to space. These are its colours as they are manifested at the supreme level. The Tao we generally refer to has the colours red in its upper part and black for its lower part. For instance, some of our cultivators have opened their Celestial Eyes, and have discovered that the red colour they see with their eyes is green when seen in the space next to ours. The golden colour is seen to be purple in another space. Thus, there is a contrast, i.e. its colours differ from space to space. The Taiji with its upper part red and lower part blue belongs to the School of the Primordial Great Tao, which includes the Rare Cultivation Way. The four small swastika signs "" on the four sides belong to the Buddha School, which are just the same as the one in the middle, all belonging to the Buddha School. The colour of this Falun is relatively bright and we use it as the emblem of Falun Dafa.

        The Falun we see through our Celestial Eyes does not necessarily have the same colours, because the background colour will change while its pattern remains the same. When the Falun that I have planted in your lower abdomen area is spinning, your celestial eye may see it as red, or purple, or green, or perhaps colourless. Its background colour keeps changing with the colours of red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue, and purple. That's why what you see may be of different colours while the swastika signs "" inside, and the colours and the patterns of Taiji will remain the same. We feel that the background colour of the pattern looks nice, and therefore we have fixed it. Those with supernormal capabilities can transcend this space and see a lot of things.

        Some people have mentioned that this swastika sign "" looks like that of Hitler's. Now I'd like to tell you that this sign itself does not connote any class concepts. Some people say that if its corner is tilted to this side, it would be Hitler's emblem. This does not matter as both sides rotate. It was 2500 years ago in Sakyamuni's time that our human society came to recognize this sign widely. It is but a few decades from Hitler's time during the World War II up till now. He usurped this sign. But his is black in colour, and different from ours. Moreover, his sign stands upright with the points facing up. That's all for this Falun. We have only mentioned the form of its appearance.

        What, then, does this swastika "" symbolize in our Buddha School? Some people say that it resembles good fortune, but this is an interpretation of ordinary people. Let me tell you that "" is a sign of a Buddha's status of achievement. Only when one reaches the Buddha's status can he have it. A Bodhisattva and an Arhat do not have it. Yet, senior Bodhisattvas and the four senior Bodhisattvas all have it. We can see that these senior Bodhisattvas are far above the status of ordinary Buddhas, even above Tathagatas. There are numerous Buddhas above the status of Tathagata who has only one swastika "". Those who have reached beyond the status of Tathagata have more and more swastikas "". A Buddha whose status is twice as high as a Tathagata will have two swastikas "". Those who are even higher will have three, or four, or five......etc.. They have so many of it which can be found all over their bodies, on the head, shoulders, knees. There are so many of it that it will even appear on the palms, fingers, foot arches and toes, etc.. With the status rising higher and higher, the swastikas "" will increase continuously. Therefore, the sign "" represents the status of a Buddha. The higher the status of a Buddha, the more signs "" he will have.